Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Carmenere 2016
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Robert
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Intense and deep red in color, this wine offers expressive and intense aromas of cassis and black currant. On the palate, it is elegant with round and persistent tannins, with fresh cherry and a light toast flavor.
Great with lamb shank with herbs or pork fillet with mustard and honey.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I love how the leafy complexity of dried sage, pine cones and forest floor combines with earth and paprika, but then with very fresh fruit, such as blueberries and citrus. Medium to full body, chewy and grainy tannins and a bark-laden finish. Drink in 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Cuvée Alexandre Carmenère has some 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's surprisingly fresh and clean, remarkable for a difficult harvest, especially for the late-ripening varieties. It has fine-grained tannins and rich flavors. This feels like a great improvement over previous years, and it also has less oak; they now buy used barrels from Clos Apalta. 69,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2017.
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Domaines Bournet-Lapostolle (DBL) is one of Chile’s most dynamic and influential winemakers. The Lapostolle family began producing fine wine and spirits in France in 1827. In 1994, Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, sixth generation family member, and her husband Cyril de Bournet, were one of the first to see the potential of Apalta Valley’s terroirs in Chile for producing high quality red varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot. In 2005, DBL’s icon wine Clos Apalta made history by becoming the first and only South American wine to date to ever be ranked #1 of the famous Top100 of Wine Spectator. Alexandra and Cyril were joined by their son, Charles de Bournet, in their simple as ambitious goal: to create world-class wines using French winemaking philosophy and the superb terroirs of Apalta. Charles has done extensive work in introducing Syrah and Rose varietals, such as Cinsault and Grenache, terroirs analysis, and sustainable practices throughout Apalta. World renowned winemaker, Michel Rolland, has been consulting at DBL since the beginning and works with Charles to produce wines that express the family’s taste and the unique terroirs of Apalta.
Dark, full-bodied and herbaceous with a spicy kick, Carménère found great success with its move to Chile in the mid-19th century. However, the variety went a bit undercover until 1994 when many plantings previously thought to be Merlot, were profiled as Carménère. Somm Secret— Carménère is both a progeny and a great-grandchild of the similarly flavored Cabernet Franc.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.